JAVIER DE RIBA, ‘ISATIS TINCTORIA’

The interesting work of Javier de Riba takes on new dimensions in his latest floor intervention. The proposal for the Walk & Talk festival on the Azores Islands (Portugal) has brought the Catalan artist to the Hotel Monte Place which was abandoned just one year after its opening.

The motif adorning the area located on the ground floor of the hotel represents the “Isatis Tinctoria”, a plant that from the 15th to the 17th century, established itself as one of the most exported products from the Island of San Miguel. Once again, simulating a decorative floor tile pattern, the latest Isatis Tinctoria plantation now rests in the middle of these ruins, reminding us of the ephemerality of success and wealth by means of demolished nostalgia.